Deke Bellavia

Deke: ATL not ready yet!

by Deke Bellavia,posted Nov 11 2012 6:17PM

All week long, all I heard was how the Falcons were still mad because the Saints hung 45 on them in a record-setting game last season...and other rumblings I heard all last week in preparing for the Saints' first date with the Falcons was how the Falcons looked like the 2009 Saints.

Man, let me tell you the obvious, and that is Atlanta ain’t ready yet! Now, the hated Dirty Birds may well go on and be back here in the Big Easy in early February, but until they do that I will not believe in the Falcons. And I’ll tell you why.

Atlanta is a team that is not where they need to be, or want to be, mentally speaking. New Orleans is deep in the heads of all the Falcons players as well as coach Mike Smith, who now has a 2-7 record against the Black and Gold. And the Saints are not the only team that the Falcons fear, as the team up North from Green Bay gladly welcomes a playoff game against the Falcons. And you can toss in Chicago and San Francisco as other teams that pose bad match-up problems for Atlanta.

Atlanta got away from Falcons football in their 31-27 loss to the Saints. Anytime Matt Ryan has to pass the ball far more times than the Falcons rush the football, Atlanta will not win. Ryan passed the ball 52 times and the Falcons rushed the football just 18 times.

With all of that said, the biggest problem the Falcons had was the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have dominated the Falcons, and when a team does that on a consistent basis, it matters. It matters a lot. New Orleans is 11-2 versus Atlanta since 2006, and the Saints have won eight of nine games against the Falcons in the Mercedes Benz Superdome.

New Orleans spotted the Falcons a 10-0 lead and then outscored the previously undefeated Falcons 31-17 the remainder of the game. Atlanta had been barley getting by the last few weeks, but the Saints made sure they would not come up with a close win over the Black and Gold.

Now the Saints have the Oakland Raiders up next Oakland is a team that is not that good, but a team that will come out and play hard after getting embarrassed in a 55-20 loss in Baltimore to the Ravens.

The match-up versus Oakland gives the Saints a chance to get to 5-5, with two remaining games in November against top tier teams in San Francisco and Atlanta. If the Saints can close out the month of November with a 5-0 mark, that would certainly be the win streak needed to get the Saints right back in the mix in the NFC playoff hunt!

But as far as Atlanta is concerned, they just don’t have it right now. What it is for Atlanta, I’m not that sure...but what I do know is that you can win all the regular season games you want, but when you have flopped three straight times in the post-season, no one will put any stock into the Falcons until they get it done in the post season.

So for now, the Saints continue their dominant ways against the Falcons. Until next time, Who Dat!

I hope that we don't get any of those Fake Saints Fans starting to jump back on the wagon.....PLEASE STAY OFF...WE ONLY HAVE ROOM FOR REAL WHO DATS

11/11/2012 9:41PM

Not one single mention of Chris Ivory!

Looks like you media guys are doing the same thing as the Saints . . . refusing to give credit to Chris Ivory for putting the match to the fuse in this game and Monday night's game.
Really sorry! The Saints sit him on the bench until they don't have a choice, then when he performs, the folks who do the writing about the game just ignore him.
Two long touchdown runs in less than a week. His running (along with some guy who showed up and claimed to be Mark Ingram) and Pierre Thomas as well made it possible for the rest of Drew Brees and the receivers' successes. Yeah, Brees can turn it on, but he might get to stick around a bit longer with some run support.
Hell yeah!!! Geaux Saints!!! . . . I very much prefer watching Ivory running for us than against us! Don't give him a reason to be pissed off at us!

11/12/2012 4:37AM

Chris Ivory

The previous comment is spot on. Chris Ivory has changed the complexion of this team. He is bringing it and he should receive the credit he deserves.

11/12/2012 9:05AM

Bye Ingram... Hello Chris Ivory.

Take it easy 'No Free Rides', we are all life-long WhoDats. But we got to keep it real and call'em like we seem them. Ivory is the spark this team needed, period!! And even though Ingram has played a bit better as of late, Chris has got to get more shots with the rock.

11/12/2012 11:49PM

Ivory is the man

Why in the hell did we keep this guy on the bench? He's three times as good as Ingram. He's a better runner than Thomas, although Thomas is the master at the screen pass, and a better blocker.

11/13/2012 3:12AM

Ivory the beast

Ivory goes into beast mode. The guy is a strong runner. Give him the ball. Best man up.

11/13/2012 11:50AM

big ivory!!

best man up is RIGHT! FORGET THE POLITICS!!!...havent we had enough of politics for now anyway??? go saints!!

11/13/2012 3:00PM

The Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast To Coast went Beast Mode 2.0.

11/13/2012 4:08PM

Oakland

Please beat the raiders I am saints fan from California and don't want my only saints game live to be a lost

11/15/2012 8:59AM

Ivory Fumble Prone

All this talk about Ivory is fine and dandy until he fumbles the ball again in the red zone. And guess what his behind will be riding the pine again. GO SAINTS!!!